After 19 years later chapter 2
by 2000mushroom
Summary: This is the second chapter of "After 19 years later".


**CHAPTER 2**

Lynden unsuccessfully dodged a water balloon dropped by Hode, the new Hogwarts poltergeist. The caretaker, Argus Filch, finally convinced the headmaster of Hogwarts to ban Peeves, but the next morning he woke up to find another poltergeist, identical to Peeves, but much more annoying, spraying the hallways of Hogwarts with raspberry juice.

"Hode! HODE! Get back here, you nasty poltergeist!" shouted a teacher, that Lynden recognized as Minerva McGonagall. After all, his mother and father had all come to Hogwarts, and they said Professor McGonagall had been here since they were in first year.

"First years over 'ere!" yelled a loud booming voice. It was obviously Hagrid, because he was at least a head taller than everyone around him, except a few trees and the giant squid.

Lynden followed Kevin to Hagrid, and making sure that Alex was behind Kevin and him, he asked, "What house do you want to be in, Alex?"

"Well," said Alex, spots of red appearing on his cheek, "since you guys are my friends and you guys are all going to Gryffindor –"

"– Actually we aren't _going_ to Gryffindor, we just want to go to Gryffindor. That's the house Harry Potter was in when he was in Hogwarts," said Lynden.

"Um…right. So I guess Gryffindor is where I want to go too." Alex abruptly jumped to one side, and Lynden wasn't sure why until he saw Hode soaring through the line of first years, this time armed with a bag of bulging Dungbombs.

The Hogwarts castle and the grounds seemed unaffected by the time that had passed, except for some reason; there was a large herd of goats roaming around the Forbidden Forest. "Hey, Kevin, do you know why there are goats here?" asked Lynden.

Kevin sighed. "Why do you just assume I know everything? Ask the headmaster instead."

"Who's the headmaster this year? Finnus Park quit last year, he went to help the ministry of magic?" asked Lynden, making Kevin sigh again and repeat why Lynden always assumed that Kevin knew everything.

A man with a long flowing beard opened the door for Hagrid with a flick of a wand. Lynden, Kevin, Melina and Alex instantly blurt out "Dumbledore! I thought he was dead!" having read the Dumbledore chocolate frog cards. But when Alex looked closer, and compared the man with the beard to the chocolate frog card of Dumbledore, the man had a shorter beard, and the man certainly looked older, though it was hard to tell. On the Hogwarts express Lynden had explained how Dumbledore had broken his nose at least two times, but this man's nose was fine.

"Aberforth?" asked Melina timidly, but with Hode's cackling laughter and screaming first years, Melina could only be heard by Kevin.

"First years, come with me! In the castle, please!" roared Hagrid, who could be heard through the noise.

The first years followed Hagrid and Professor McGonagall inside, mixed with both nervousness and excitement.

"The sorting will begin in a moment," said Professor McGonagall. The moment she left the Great Hall, it filled with a buzzing of exciting conversation. Alex, being raised by muggle relatives, knew no spells at all except one which he heard Kevin use on his cat, Silver, which was "_Reducio_". Hearing the name of the spell, Alex supposed it made things smaller.

"I think I might have to use the stunning spell," said one girl behind him. She was talking to another girl rapidly fast about the spells she learnt and what she might use. Alex was sure that the other girl didn't catch a word she was saying.

"Look! Ghosts!" shouted a first year that was in the front of the line. He was right. Foggy shapes seemingly appeared out of nowhere, and they were all clear. Melina had jumped back in fright, and a ghost put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. The ghost's hand went right through Melina's shoulder, and she toppled down to the ground. The ghost hastily disappeared in sight, and Melina commented, "It feels like going through a bucket of cold water when these ghosts touch you!"

Alex didn't have time to say his comment, because just then Professor McGonagall appeared with a battered old wizard hat that was slightly scorched on both sides. "This is the sorting hat," she explained. "This hat has been sorting wizards since before the famous Harry Potter went to school. Now, I will all you up in alphabetical order and you will put the hat on your head. When it screams out your house, go to the table of your house. Ravenclaw is the table with the blue robed wizards and witches, Gryffindor is the table with the red, Slytherin is green, and Hufflepuff has changed its colour since the last headmaster, Finnus Park. Hufflepuff is now white."

There were loud cheers from the Hufflepuff table.

"First, the hat sings a son," said Professor McGonagall.

The hat was singing, but Alex found it very hard to concentrate. He thought he might be sick if he had to stay in the Great Hall longer. At last, what seemed like centuries had gone by, Professor McGonagall said, "Now, we start. Anderson, Mary!" The girl who had been talking rapidly fast walked up and put the hat on. The hat thought for a while, before shouting, "GRYFFINDOR!"

The Gryffindor table rang with cheered.

"Azury Nicholas!" said Professor McGonagall.

"RAVENCLAW!" boomed the hat. This time the Wizards and witches in the Ravenclaw table cheered and whistled.

Soon, Kevin and Lynden were both put into Gryffindor. Melina was put in Ravenclaw. She gave an apologetic look to Lynden before running to the Ravenclaw table. Alex began to feel more at unease and his insides began to turn when Professor McGonagall shouted, "Tanner, Alex". Alex slowly walked up the stage and sat on the stool.

_"Hmm…I see…you're quite interesting. Ravenclaw could work…but you are quite brave, all the same."_

At first, Alex didn't realize who was speaking to him, but now he realized it was the sorting hat.

_"Ravenclaw could work…so would Gryffindor…You are bound to do a lot of great things, Alex Tanner…I think…I think…"_

_Please be Gryffindor,_ thought Alex, _Please._

_"Gryffindor? That would be good. Are you sure you don't want to be in Ravenclaw? Very well…_"

Alex was very glad that the sorting hat could read minds and was willing to listen to Alex.

"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted to the Great Hall. The Gryffindor table erupted with clapping and cheers, Kevin and Lynden the loudest.

As Alex sat down with them, he thought, this memory would last him a lifetime.

When the last wizard was sorted, ("Zach, Ryan) was put in Slytherin, the man who Alex had thought was Dumbledore walked up into the headmaster's seat.

"Aberforth's the headmaster!" said Kevin.

"Well, students of Hogwarts," said Aberforth. "This is a start of a new year, and there have been some changes in staff. As you might know, I am the new Hogwarts Headmaster and I am the brother of someone you might know as Albus Dumbledore.

"I would know," said a second year boy seated near Alex, "I'm named after him."

Alex instantly recognized the second year boy looking something like Harry Potter, and before he could say anything, Lynden asked, "You're Albus Severus Potter?"

"Um, yes," said Albus, embarrassed by all of the attention. "My brother James…My sister Lily…"

"Great! We've got descendants of Potter in Gryffindor! No doubt we'll probably win the house cup again!" exclaimed Kevin.

"Now, students of Hogwarts. I will introduce the teachers," said Aberforth, pointing around at him. "At my left, is Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor and transfiguration teacher. Then there is Professor Sinistra, astronomy teacher, Professor Slughorn, head of the Slytherin house and potions teacher, Professor Flitwick, head of Ravenclaw and also charms teacher, and then Professor Longbottom, head of Hufflepuff and herbology teacher."

"Professor Longbottom!" said Lynden. "That's Neville Longbottom – he helped Harry Potter a lot when harry Potter became an auror!"

Aberforth now turned to his right. "Rubeus Hagrid is the teacher for care for magical creatures. Professor Trelawney, Divination teacher. Madam Hooch, librarian and quidditch referee. Now," Aberforth said, pointing at the seat where nobody was seated, "this is the spot for the DA teacher, defence against the dark arts, or Defense Association. We have a new teacher for DA this year and he's –"

The door of Hogwarts opened with a loud boom. A man, somewhere around forty walked into the room and seated himself in the DA seat.

Alex didn't need Lynden muttering "scar" to him to know who he was. Alex had looked into the chocolate frog for a long time to remember his face. After all, his son was seated almost right beside him.

_"The DA teacher is Harry Potter."_


End file.
